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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. degree — an amount
  3. board — to get on
  4. degree — from a university
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. root — the cause
  7. kid — to tease
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. root — of a plant
  12. plane — a tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. kid — child
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. squash — the sport
  19. board — a committee
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. roll — a cake
  22. degree — temperature
  23. root — of a word
  24. squash — to crush

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com